By 
Many people know that swimming is a great form of exercise for almost any person of any age or physical abilities. However, while swimming won’t be particularly hard on parts of your body like your bones and joints, there are still things that you need to do in order to ensure that you’re safe when choosing to swim regularly.
If you love to swim as part of your workout routine, here are three ways to protect your body when regularly swimming for exercise.
Watch Out For Fungus And Bacteria
Wherever there is water, there is going to be fungus and bacteria. And while you can do your best to keep your pool clean or swim in a pool that’s regularly maintained, various fungi and bacteria can still be in and around the pool you’re swimming in. And when you get exposed to them, you could develop various issues.
According to Lizette Borreli, a contributor to Medical Daily, some of the most common illnesses spread by fungus or bacteria in and around pools include athlete’s foot and Legionnaires’ Disease. To avoid running into these types of issues yourself, take precautions like always wearing pool shoes when walking around the pool deck or locker rooms along with maintaining a strong immune system that can fight off these bacteria or fungus if you come in contact with them.
Reduce Damage To Your Hair, Skin, And Nails
Being in the water of a pool for extended periods of time, like you are when you use swimming as your main form of exercise, can wreak havoc with your hair, skin, and nails if you’re not careful.
Knowing this, Ashley Collins, a contributor to The List, recommends that you wear a swimming cap to protect your hair whenever possible. If you don’t have one for whatever reason, rinsing your hair before and after swimming can also be effective. For your skin, take the same precautions of rinsing off after swimming to get all the chemicals off of you. And once you’re dry, make sure you moisturize. As for your nails, you may want to consider painting them to add a protective layer.
Don’t Neglect Physical Recovery
Just because swimming isn’t as taxing on certain parts of your body as other forms of exercise doesn’t mean that you can swim hard everyday with no physical repercussions. So although you might love swimming and swimming hard, MySwimPro.com recommends that you give your body a chance to recover by taking a break from swimming periodically. Or, at the very least, scheduling in days of less intense training.
To help ensure that you time you spend in the pool is entirely beneficial for your body, consider using the tips mentioned above to protect yourself from potential illness or injury.
Comments